Boston Celtics would likely match MLE offer sheet for restricted free agent ‘in a heartbeat’

The Boston Celtics would likely match an offer sheet worth the mid-level exception ($12.4 million) for restricted free agent Grant Williams according to Heavy’s Adam Taylor — who said that the team would do so “in a heartbeat.”

The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach deemed a return for the four-year veteran to the Celtics this offseason “unlikely” while HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports that the Charlotte Hornets are weighing their options between Williams and incumbent big P.J. Washington.

“The Hornets are considering an offer sheet to Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Amid Charlotte’s interest in Williams, the Hornets are also in discussions with restricted free agent PJ Washington on a possible deal. Washington has drawn interest from several other teams on the market, and Rui Hachimura’s three-year, $51 million deal with the Lakers could be a potential ballpark figure for Washington’s next contract.”

MLE offer sheet for Grant Williams not worth the hassle due to the likelihood that Boston Celtics would match

The Hornets, or another rumored suitor like the Dallas Mavericks, sending Williams an offer sheet would be “not worth the hassle” for either squad due to the likelihood of the Boston Celtics matching it in restricted free agency according to CBS Sports’ James Herbert.

“Both teams could use the non-taxpayer midlevel, but, given the threat of Boston matching, that kind of offer sheet might not be worth the hassle,” Herbert prefaced before saying, “For Charlotte to go higher than that, it would have to renounce its cap holds for the players who are next on this list.”

Williams could potentially be replaced by the first signing of the free agency period, Oshae Brissett, this coming season in the Celtics’ rotation if No. 12 does indeed sign an offer sheet that breaks Boston’s bank. The Hornets just handed a five-year, $260 million contract to LaMelo Ball, so it’s not hard to imagine them being aggressive in trying to surround their new supermax star with an improved supporting cast.